KNOW THE BASICS
We put your interests first — always. This policy is our “no funny business” rulebook.
Purpose and Regulatory Context
Understanding Conflicts of Interest
How and Where Conflicts Can Surface
Detecting and Reporting Conflicts
Preventing and Managing Conflicts
Conflict Resolution and Client Protection
Remuneration and Personal Dealings
Governance, Disclosure and Policy Oversight
Conflict of Interest Policy
1. Purpose and Regulatory Context
Venga is committed to maintaining the highest standards of transparency, fairness, and regulatory compliance. As a Crypto Asset Service Provider (CASP), Venga recognizes that conflicts of interest may arise during business operations. This policy outlines how such conflicts are identified, managed, mitigated, and disclosed, in accordance with the Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA), Spanish law, and other applicable regulatory standards.
We put your interests first — always. This policy is our “no funny business” rulebook.
2. Understanding Conflicts of Interest
A conflict of interest occurs when an individual or entity faces competing obligations or incentives that could interfere with objective decision-making. These conflicts may arise between Venga’s business operations and customer interests, different customer interests or between employees or third-party stakeholders and Venga’s mission.
What’s a “Conflict of Interest”?
It’s when someone at Venga could gain personally in a way that might affect how fair decisions are made.
3. How and Where Conflicts Can Surface
Potential conflicts of interest may arise on the following cases, but not limited to it:
- Employee Conflicts: An employee engaging in outside work during office hours without approval
- Customer Conflicts: Personal investments or transactions by staff that overlap with client or Company interests
- Third-Party Influence: The company receiving incentives that could influence its recommendations
- Personal Transactions: An employee benefits from a trade that uses confidential information
Where it could pop up:
- An employee juggling another job on the side.
- Staff investments clashing with yours.
- A third party trying to “sweeten the deal”.
- Someone using inside info for themselves.
4. Detecting and Reporting Conflicts
Employees must:
- Declare any outside activities, financial interests, or personal relationships that may impact impartiality
- Report involvement in vendor selection or hiring where personal interests are present
- Avoid any behavior that could interfere with fair treatment of clients.
Activities during official working hours require written approval from Compliance and HR. All potential conflicts must be reported promptly for assessment and resolution.
How we deal with it:
- Spot it → declare it.
- Fix it → set clear rules.
- Tell you if it affects you.
- Stop it if it can’t be made fair.
5. Preventing and Managing Conflicts
To uphold independence and objectivity, Venga has established measures to prevent and manage potential conflicts of interest.
Key measures include:
- Guidelines for Action: Clear rules prohibit certain conduct (e.g., sharing client operations) and prioritize client interests with fair allocation of orders.
- Prevention of Improper Influence: Safeguards ensure employees or departments cannot exert undue influence over others in providing services.
- Control of Participation: Employees are restricted from roles or activities that could conflict with client interests.
Information Exchange Controls: Tailored procedures prevent the exchange of sensitive information between departments or individuals, reducing conflict risks.
These measures are designed to prioritize client interests and maintain ethical operations.
If a conflict of interest cannot be avoided or fully mitigated:
- The affected client is informed of the nature and source of the conflict.
- The service proceeds only with the client´s consent.
- If the conflict cannot be resolved or disclosed appropriately, the transaction will not proceed.
Prevent & manage: We set guardrails: no secret info sharing, no pushing clients aside, fair treatment for everyone.
If we can’t fix it: We’ll tell you what’s going on, where it comes from, and only continue if you give the thumbs-up. If not, it stops there.
6. Conflict Resolution and Client Protection
When a conflict of interest is identified, resolution follows a structured process:
- The matter is addressed by the relevant department head. If multiple departments are involved, oversight shifts to a supervising manager.
- If additional support is needed, the Compliance Department assigns a resolution lead to ensure neutrality and consistency.
- If the conflict presents a potential risk that cannot be fully mitigated, the affected client is informed of the situation, including the nature and origin of the conflict.
- The service or transaction continues only if the client provides informed consent.
- If no resolution or disclosure is feasible, the transaction is not executed.
In all cases, client interests are prioritized:
- In conflicts between the Company and a client, the client’s interest prevails.
- In conflicts between clients, neutrality is strictly maintained.
- Clients are never given details about other users´; transactions.
- Cross-client actions are not permitted if they benefit one at the expense of another.
How we deal with it: First the team lead jumps in, Compliance steps in if needed, and only the right people handle it. If it affects you, we’ll explain what’s happening and ask if you’re okay to continue. If not, we stop.
Our golden rule: Your interests always come first. Company vs. you? You win. You vs. another client? We stay neutral. And your info stays private.
7. Remuneration and Personal Dealings
To avoid incentive-driven conflicts:
- Compensation is balanced and not based solely on sales or volume.
- Bonuses must reflect compliance, fairness, and service quality.
- Employees and connected individuals must report personal crypto transactions, with pre-approval being required for defined thresholds.
- Transactions must be documented in detail and follow fair market conditions
Pay and Personal Trading: We reward fairness, not just sales — and staff must play fair and log their own crypto trades.
8. Governance, Disclosure and Policy Oversight
The effective management of conflicts of interest relies on clear governance, transparency, and periodic review.
Roles and Responsibilities:
- Employees must identify, avoid, and report potential conflicts, and seek pre- approvals where necessary.
- Management ensures that internal controls are implemented consistently and effectively.
- The Compliance Department is responsible for reviewing disclosures, enforcing this policy, and overseeing mitigation measures.
- Internal Audit independently assesses the conflict management framework and identifies areas for improvement. A dedicated officer is appointed to oversee the identification and handling of conflicts. This person operates independently and has sufficient authority, resources, and direct access to senior management.
Training and Awareness: All staff undergo regular training to ensure a clear understanding of conflict of interest procedures. Content is role-specific and updated to reflect legal or operational changes. Ongoing education is encouraged to maintain a high standard of compliance.
Disclosure Requirements: In accordance with MiCA, Venga publishes conflict of interest disclosures on its website, including:
- The nature and source of identified conflicts
- Associated risks and mitigation measures
- Availability in all languages used to market services These disclosures support informed decision-making but do not replace Venga’s obligation to actively manage and mitigate conflicts.
Policy Review and Updates:
- The Compliance Department is responsible for reviewing this policy regularly.
- Updates may be initiated due to legal reforms, structural changes, or audit findings.
- A formal review is conducted at least once annually.
- All changes must be approved by the Management Body.
While the full policy is restricted to authorized personnel, a summary is available to the public online, in accordance with MiCA’s transparency requirements.
Who’s in charge of this?
- Everyone spots and reports conflicts.
- Managers keep rules working.
- Compliance and Audit check and fix things.
- One officer oversees it all.
Training We keep everyone’s “conflict radar” sharp with regular, updated training.
Openness We publish simple conflict disclosures online (what the issue is, the risks, and how we fix them) in every language we use.
Review We don’t write this policy once and forget it - we check it yearly and update if laws, audits, or our setup change.